Change is inevitable in modern organisations—especially in IT. Cloud migrations, security hardening, identity platform upgrades, endpoint modernisation, automation initiatives, and AI adoption are now constant rather than occasional events. Yet despite strong technical designs and well-run projects, many technology changes still fail to deliver their intended outcomes.
From real-world experience, the root cause is rarely the technology itself.
Instead, change fails because:
- Users resist new systems
- Teams revert to old processes
- Adoption stalls after go-live
- Shadow IT fills the gaps
- Leadership assumes “training equals adoption”
This is exactly the problem the ADKAR Change Management Methodology was designed to solve. Unlike traditional change frameworks that focus on project milestones, ADKAR focuses on individual change—because organisations only change when people do.
What Is the ADKAR Change Management Model?
The ADKAR Change Management Model, developed by Prosci, is a structured approach that helps individuals successfully transition through change. Rather than asking “What steps does the project need?”, ADKAR asks:
“What does each person need to move from the current state to the future state?”
ADKAR recognises a fundamental truth that IT professionals learn quickly in the field:
You can deploy a system perfectly and still fail if people don’t adopt it.
The model breaks change into five measurable building blocks that must occur in order. If one element is missing, the change will stall or fail—often silently.
The Five Stages of the ADKAR Model
ADKAR is an acronym representing five outcomes individuals must achieve for change to be successful:
- A – Awareness: Understanding why the change is needed
- D – Desire: Wanting to participate in and support the change
- K – Knowledge: Knowing how to change
- A – Ability: Being able to implement the change in practice
- R – Reinforcement: Sustaining the change over time
Each stage builds on the previous one. You cannot skip steps—and attempting to do so is one of the most common mistakes made in IT-led change initiatives.
Awareness: Explaining the “Why” Behind the Change
Awareness is the foundation of all change. In IT, this is often underestimated because teams assume the benefits are obvious.
They rarely are.
From experience, user resistance typically sounds like:
- “Why are we changing this? The old system works.”
- “This feels like change for the sake of change.”
- “No one asked us.”
Awareness is about context, not technical detail. People don’t need architecture diagrams—they need clarity on:
- What problem the change solves
- Why it matters now
- What happens if the change does not occur
Real-World IT Example
When rolling out MFA or conditional access, resistance often arises because users see only friction. Awareness messaging must explain risk reduction, compliance requirements, and real security incidents, not just “Microsoft recommends it.”
Effective awareness requires:
- Early communication (not at go-live)
- Honest discussion of drivers and risks
- Open forums for questions and concerns
Desire: Turning Acceptance into Buy-In
Awareness alone does not equal support. People may understand the change and still resist it.
Desire is personal.
It answers the question: “What’s in this for me?”
In IT transformations, desire is often the hardest stage because change introduces discomfort:
- New workflows
- Reduced autonomy
- Learning curves
- Fear of skill obsolescence
Practical Strategies That Work
- Link the change to reduced manual work
- Show how it removes pain points
- Identify change champions within teams
- Address fear directly instead of dismissing it
In successful projects, desire is often built peer-to-peer, not top-down. When respected team members support the change, resistance drops dramatically.
Knowledge: Teaching People How to Change (Not Just What Changed)
Knowledge is where many IT projects believe they are strongest—and yet still fall short.
Sending a PDF, recording a webinar, or holding a single training session is rarely enough.
Knowledge includes:
- How to use new tools
- How processes change
- How roles and responsibilities shift
- What “good” looks like in the new state
Common IT Pitfall
Teams often train users on features but not on workflows. Users don’t fail because they don’t know where the button is—they fail because they don’t know how their day-to-day job changes.
Effective knowledge transfer includes:
- Role-based training
- Real scenarios, not demos
- Clear documentation
- Easy access to help resources
Ability: Turning Knowledge into Real-World Behaviour
This is where many changes collapse after go-live.
Ability is about execution under real conditions, not theory. Someone may understand the change and even support it—but still struggle to apply it when under pressure.
In IT environments, ability is affected by:
- Time constraints
- Competing priorities
- Poor system performance
- Lack of support after rollout
What Actually Builds Ability
- Hands-on practice
- Floor support or hypercare periods
- Clear escalation paths
- Tolerance for early mistakes
From experience, organisations that cut hypercare short often see users quietly revert to old methods—especially if they feel punished for early errors.
Reinforcement: The Most Ignored (and Most Critical) Step
Reinforcement ensures the change sticks.
Without reinforcement:
- Old processes return
- Workarounds reappear
- Shadow IT grows
- ROI evaporates
Reinforcement is not a single action—it’s an ongoing commitment.
Effective Reinforcement Techniques
- Celebrate early wins
- Share success metrics
- Publicly recognise adoption
- Address non-compliance consistently
- Keep leadership visibly engaged
In IT, reinforcement often means aligning policies, access controls, and governance with the new way of working—making the old way impossible.
Why ADKAR Works Especially Well in IT Environments
IT changes are uniquely challenging because they often:
- Affect how people work every day
- Introduce security or compliance controls
- Reduce informal workarounds
- Span multiple business units
ADKAR works because it:
- Treats resistance as diagnostic data, not defiance
- Provides a structured way to identify where adoption is failing
- Aligns technical delivery with human behaviour
- Scales from small changes to enterprise transformations
When You Should Use the ADKAR Model
ADKAR is particularly effective for:
- Cloud migrations
- Security rollouts (MFA, Zero Trust, DLP)
- ERP and CRM implementations
- Identity and access changes
- Endpoint standardisation
- Automation and process redesign
In short: any change where people must work differently.
Final Thoughts: Change Is Personal, Even in IT
The biggest lesson seasoned IT professionals learn is that change is never purely technical. You can automate, script, deploy, and secure—but adoption only happens when people move through change successfully.
The ADKAR Change Management Methodology provides a practical, human-focused framework that complements technical expertise rather than competing with it.
If you want your next IT initiative to succeed beyond go-live, don’t just manage the project—manage the people.
That’s where ADKAR truly delivers its value.
From my early days on the helpdesk through roles as a service desk manager, systems administrator, and network engineer, I’ve spent more than 25 years in the IT world. As I transition into cyber security, my goal is to make tech a little less confusing by sharing what I’ve learned and helping others wherever I can.